New  Head of Programmes for Nyon Capitole cinema - "Monday English Movie Night"  returns to the town Nyon Cinema   has a new head of  programmes - Mr Patrick Dentan. Photo above: Patrick Dentan in the seat of David Lynch! All the seats in the Aubonne cinema have been named after a famous name in the film world. Mr Dentan is also responsible for the programming of films  at the Rex cinema in Aubonne . If you haven't been to the Aubonne cinema before, it's definitely worth a visit, many films are shown in English and there is an interesting choice of films on offer, from blockbusters  to documentaries to films from around the world. This 125 seat cinema was renovated  in 2011 and many of its original features have been retained, the cinema is in the heart of the old town, there is even a restaurant next door to partake in a pre-cinema  meal or drink! Photo above: The original wallpaper design and lights have been kept in the cinema. The town and the members of the public supported the renovation and created a real community spirit behind it, the town even has its own ciné club.. Photos above - Behind the scenes of the cinema  Storage for old cinema reels - Storage for digital films today in a box no bigger  than a magazine! Patrick Dentan - Cinephile Patrick Dentan is a true cinephile and has worked within the  cinema industry for many years. He is also responsible for programming at the cinemas in Bex and  Châtel- St Denis. He is also a film critic for  Rouge FM radio  and Rouge TV.  His plans for Nyon cinema include holding special events and evenings at the cinema and he has reinstigated the return of the "Monday English Movie Night". The Capitole cinema has two screening rooms, the Leone can seat 219  and is equipped to show 2D, 3D and 35 mm films. The Fellini room  seats 89. Mr Dentan told Living in Nyon  that it's not just the anglophones who like to see  movies in English, the Swiss too prefer to see films in their original language. Mr Dentan is also keen to encourage  the young public to all the cinemas as he says  "they are the cinema going public of the future".   Watch this space for more news on Nyon cinema in the next few months. Summer Outdoor Cinema in  Nyon, Rolle and Gland The weather has finally warmed up in the Nyon region which is perfect for the start of the open air summer cinema season which begins tonight 2nd July in Rolle. This temporary outdoor cinema will be located in the idyllic setting  of the Place du Château in Rolle and the season begins with the screening of the film "Le Grand Méchant Loup" to be shown at 21:30.  The summer programme in Rolle continues right up until the 21st July with a wide variety of programming. Some films will be shown in English in V.O (version originale) Films for the following seven days in Rolle are -  Wednesday 3rd July, "The Life of Pi" (in French), Thursday 4th "Moi, Moche at Mechant 2" (in French), a comedy animation for all the family, Friday 5th  "Les Profs", the very successful  French hit comedy, Saturday 6th "Man of Steel" (in English) Sunday 7th "Demi- Soeur", (in French)   Monday 8th, "The Great Gatsby" in English, on Tuesday 9th July there will be a special viewing of the Rigoletto opera by Verdi transmitted live from the Euro Mediterraneo Festival of Taormina!    See here for full Rolle programme  See here for ticket info The outdoor cinema then moves onto Nyon on the 30 July   see here for full Nyon programme Note: Date for your diary - On the 1st  August ( Swiss National Day) there will be the screening of the film "Some Girls"   a live concert film by "The Rolling Stones" which was filmed  during their US tour of 1978  at the Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth, Texas. Note you can buy tickets at the cinema itself on the night or in advance online at Cineair.ch You can also buy tickets at Rolle Tourism office  (cash only) and in Nyon at the Ticket office in Migros in La Combe shopping centre Open air cinema in Gland!  The town of Gland will also have an open air cinema from the 17th to the 20th July  in the courtyard of the collège des Perrerets in Chemin de la Perroude 1 in Gland. See programme here  Photo below: Outdoor cinema in Nyon in 2012

Trish Thalman reviews the "Le Prince et Son Image"  directed by Hugues Le Paige. This was shown at Visions du Réel at the weekend. If you missed any of these films that are being reviewed, all is not lost, quite often they are shown again either on television or at the cinema later on in the year and Living in Nyon will alert readers in advance if this should happen. “One is only alone when facing death”- These are the words of Francois Mitterand after the Socialists lost the 1993 Legislative Election. Mitterand’s power was in decline, and he was ill (though only a few knew of his illness). From 1987 until 1993, Hugues Le Paige, was one of the few journalists allowed into Mitterand’s, ‘Inner Circle’ of journalists and photographers who had exclusive access to him, based on the quality of their work and earned trust of the President. This insightful film is a collection of poignant, intimate, at times lively, open and warm, but mostly serious, clips of quality and importance from La Paige’s personal library of film and interviews he made with Mitterand during the waning years of his Presidency. The film opens with a large, summer garden party at the Elysée Palace, circa 1981, with Mitterand the center of attention, his favourite spot. Everything is going the way he planned it, with his coterie of journalists and photographers following along. What we learn at the very beginning is that Mitterand, with his power and responsibilities, spent a great amount of time and energy controlling his own image with everyone for everyone.  For Le Paige, the major dilemma after being told personally by Mitterand (the exact moment is shown in the film) that he would be one of the favoured journalists in the ‘Inner-Circle’, was “how could I tell the truth and keep my freedom”. Mitterand stages a spontaneous, ‘ordinary man’ outing, as part of the image. He walks alone, unnoticed on the streets of Paris, and ‘pops in’ to a local bookstore that is selling his recently published book of letters, which he proclaimed that he had “not seen”. In fact, he co-edited and controlled every word that went into the book. Le Paige gets a hurried call to come along and film Mitterand’s sortie into the public realm. The bookstore owner recognises him and shakes his hand. Nobody else looks at him. The sequence is filmed from outside the bookstore, looking into the shop through golden-lit windows. He appears to be any other customer in his flat-cap and elegant camelhair coat looking at a book about Francois Mitterand. A traditional ‘staged’ and filmed event that Mitterand would do every year was to walk up to the summit of a high hill in the Burgundy region along with his ‘chosen’ guests. Mitterand jokes around and also makes comments contrary to most things that the others say. They remain silent. He wears perfectly pressed, egg/shell white corduroy trousers and polished hiking boots, and berates a couple of others for wearing tennis shoes for hiking. The setting, his outfit and ‘designed casualness’ is there for all to see. At the end of the film we see Mitterand saying ‘goodbye and thank you’ to his loyal party members after the ’93 election loss. Hugues is again asked to shoot from the hallway into the room (door open) where Mitterand is meeting with his people. He is strategically standing near the window with natural backlighting, while he is shaking hands and chatting to colleagues, along with a younger Bernard Kouchner and Segoline Royale. The grainy, telephoto shots give a lasting impression of the loneliness and fading power of the man, politically and physically, still in the belief that he is in control, at least of his image.

‘Insein Rhythm’ – by Soe Moe Aung  -  11 minutes long.  Second screening on Friday 26 April at 13:00,at  Usine à Gaz as part of a collection of 18 short films  at the Visions du Réel film festival. Review by Trish Thalman  "I will always be sure " reads the sign above the Stationmaster’s desk at Insein Railway station, located in the northern suburb of Yangon. The bright orange plastic, wind-up telephones advise the stationmaster of everything he needs to know. He can be sure. In this short, very appealing film, we see a collection of quick film shots of the collective details that create everyday life at the suburban station. People of all ages in different styles of dress get onto and off of the trains, dogs rest on the station platform, line-workers hammer away at the steel rails, a woman walks between the tracks and picks up pieces of rubbish for disposal, piles of paper tickets are ready for sale, rickety old train carriages are jammed with passengers, the food vendors exchange small amounts of coins for a cool drink or a sweet roll. The anticipation and preparation for the pending arrival of the train from Yangon is tangible. There is no dialogue, other than background sounds of birds, rain, voices and the train arrival-departure announcements of the stationmaster, along with his reply to phone calls. There is a sequence of quick-paced, repetitive shots that focuses on the pickaxe of the line-workers, the stationmaster winding-up the phones to make and receive calls, and his job of arranging blocks of pre-printed tickets. These are the routine jobs, the rhythm, for the railway workers at Insein station. This is a film that reflects the excitement and daily work of the people in a country living through the current process of arriving in the modern world.

When there are tens of thousands of football fans all waiting for the referee's decision in an important match, wouldn't it be interesting to listen in to what the ref is saying to his colleagues, to hear the process of the decision making on an crucial point? Thanks to a film ( Les Arbitres- Kill the Referee ) due to be screened at the upcoming Visions du Réel documentary film festival in Nyon, film goers will be able to listen in to these all important conversations via the personal microphones of the referees on the field filmed during the Euro 2008 championships. They also get to see the sheer solitude of the referee amongst the crowd. "Les Arbitres" will be followed by a debate in the presence of Swiss referee Massimo Busacca. This film will be shown on Monday 19th April at 20:00 in the Théatre de Marens in Nyon. This theatre is a new space for film screenings at the festival ( see map). Previously it was called the Aula du Collège de Nyons-Marens. At the moment the theatre area is being revamped and refurbished and will be ready to take up to 500 spectators. This should go a long way to ease the problem the festival has previously encountered of not enough venues to see the films and demand for seats exceeding supply. Free navette buses will be provided from  the centre of Nyon to the Théatre de Marens. "Spoilt for choice" Les Arbitres is one amongst a wide selection of films scheduled for the festival. At the press conference last Tuesday Mr Jean Perret announced they had been spoilt for choice in choosing films amongst the 2,000 that had been submitted to the festival, a record number. Many films will be making their world premiere at this festival and some of these will be entered into the various competition categories. Other highlights in the festival include workshops and film screenings by renowned documentary maker Alan Berliner from New York and Wu Wenguang from China. There will also be screenings by the video work of British artist Tracey Emin and she is scheduled to be present here in Nyon for a debate on her work on Saturday 17th April . As ever there are an interesting selection of documentary films on the programme  for this year. Such as "Beyond this Place" Read the synopsis below (taken from the Docmine site ) "Stoned for 40 Years" is how Cloud Rock La Belle describes his life. Taking drugs and intense cycling are the only things to which Cloud has remained faithful throughout his life. Now his son, Kaleo La Belle, challenges his eccentric father to a bike trip. Cycling through the Pacific Northwest, Kaleo questions his father's search for truth and demands justification for his absence in his life. "Beyond This Place" explores Kaleo and Cloud Rock's failed father and son relationship and questions whether the hippie concept of freedom ultimately failed." You can see a trailer here The film chosen to open the festival on the 15th April is "Kinshasa Symphony " this film "shows how people living in one of the most chaotic cities in the world have managed to forge one of the most complex systems of human cooperation ever invented: a symphony orchestra. It is a film about the Congo, about the people of Kinshasa and about music" (Synopsis taken from the film's own website ) As ever Living in Nyon will be there reviewing the films and updating you on latest festival news. The programme with full timings of screenings will be published shortly for the public. Don't forget this festival has many films that are either screened  in English, or have simultaneous translations in English or subtitles in English. If you are new to Nyon and you want to find out more then read all about it here in last year's summary. The World at your door for seven days in Nyon DON'T FORGET - Talk 6th April - Reserve your place! There will be a talk in English by Mr Jean Perret of Nyon's Visions du Reel film festival on Tuesday 6th April. He will explain all about the festival, the history about it, the story behind some of the films and what's on the agenda for this year. Spaces are limited for this event and there will be a small cover charge for room rental, however this is a great opportunity to meet other Anglophones and to chat after the event too. Please email cnp at bluewin.ch to reserve a place. This event will be held in a new venue near the lake called  Libre Espace The venue will be open from 19:00 and the talk is provisionally scheduled for 19:30 (to be confirmed).

On Saturday the 23rd May, the Eurovision Song Contest  will celebrate its 60th anniversary and this year it will take place in Vienna, Austria. This Song Contest is one of the longest running television shows in the world and has an estimated viewing audience of 180 million! The first ever Eurovision Song Contest took place in Lugano, Switzerland, at the Teatro Kursaal, on the 24th of May, 1956. Celine Dion once represented Switzerland with her song "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi" and she went on to win the contest for the country in 1988. The Swiss entry to the contest for 2015 is Mélanie René with her song "My Time to Shine".   Mélanie, originally from Mauritius, trained for seven years at a performing arts school at Les Atelier du Funambule in Nyon . Sadly, the *school no longer exists, but Mélanie has fond memories of the place and of the town. When she was competing in the first step of the contest to represent Switzerland, Nyon and its landscape featured heavily in the background in her promotional video. Living in Nyon caught up with Mélanie for a short interview before she headed off to Austria for her big moment. She will first perform at the Semi-Final 2 day on Thursday 21st May. If she passes this stage, she will be through to the final on Saturday night.  Read on to find out why Mélanie elected Nyon to train in the performing arts and how she has fond memories of the town. " You chose to train at a theatre school in Nyon and spent many years there. Why did you chose this school and why Nyon?" Les Ateliers du Funambule was a pioneer school of performing arts in French Switzerland that helped young people develop their skills through sponsorships. It was a comprehensive training that included dance lessons as well as theatre, music theory, songwriting masterclasses, and singing lessons of course. I learnt so much from this school, and had so many opportunities that helped develop the singer songwriter that I am today.  "What memories do you have of the town?" So many great ones, sunshine reflecting on the lake, the view from the castle, as well as the amazing pancakes next to the school and the lovely town where we used to go window shopping with the other students! After spending seven years in Nyon, 3 to 4 days a week, it feels like my home town somewhat! "Are you always composing new songs in your head?" Yes, everything inspires me! It may be a word, a scenery, someone or even a feeling. I always have a pen and paper in my bag to write down ideas. "Which other Swiss musicians/bands do you like to listen to?" I love Voxset (acapella group), Jyaleen, as well as Aya Waska , and Sebalter to name only a few. Can you reveal  if there will be any  kind of Swiss element to your performance at Eurovision? (dress etc?)  I can't tell you much about the performance just yet I'm afraid, but I can tell you that everything we will bring onto the stage in Vienna will be representative of the song and it's message! Good luck Mélanie! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n_pXW3p74Q    * The Funambule used to be situated in the basement of the Beau Rivage hotel.

This weekend, the 9th and 10th September, it's "les Journées du Patrimoine" (Heritage Days) in Vaud. The theme this year is "Oasis in the towns, Oasis in the fields". Details here of heritage events in Nyon and other towns and villages in Vaud. Dates for your diary. Jazz weekend, Semaine de la Mobilité and Cow Parade The second edition of "Jazz au Peuple" returns to Prangins on the 16th and 17th September. There will be free entry to the concerts which will take place in the Temple in Avenue du Général Guiguer 4 and at the Vieux Pressoir,  Chemin du Vieux Pressoir 1 in Prangins.   See website here for full details. Semaine de la Mobilité - Mobility Week in Nyon. Try out an electric bike on Thursday 22nd September as part of mobility "week". Rendezvous behind Nyon railway station between 16:00 and 19:00. Plus, advice on renting a Mobility car,  from the Swiss car sharing service. Other events here. Désalpe The annual désalpe (the traditional parade of cows descending from the mountain) will take place in St-Cergue on the 24th September. This  is a "must see" event if you are new to the area. More details to follow.

Last year the "Fun Fondue for Newly Arrived Expatriates" event was a great success, so much so, we are repeating it again! This event which is a joint collaboration between Nyon Region  Tourism, Living in Nyon and subsidised by Ecole-Club Migros, will take place in the wine cellar of Nyon's Château on Tuesday 26th February at 19:30. So come along to a wine tasting and fondue evening. For just 20 CHF you can learn how to make your own fondue, discover more the Nyon region, ask questions about living here and meet new people at the same time!  Places are limited, so please reserve by emailing   michael.moret@nrt.ch by February 15th.

A fascinating insight into the life and work of artisans in Egypt     Screening today  -Tuesday 21st April at 18:30 at the Grande Salle Colombière and Wednesday 22nd April at 12:00 at the Salle Communale. Tickets and info here "You can't buy thousands of dollars of fabric and give a needle and thread to anyone", opines a UPS delivery guy whilst picking up a parcel from a shopkeeper in Cairo. The shop in question, sells beautiful hand sewn designs which have been made on the premises by extremely skilled artisans. The designs are now works of art which are hung on walls of homes but traditionally they were used to line and decorate the inside of tents. However, the quote is an analogy for what's going on in the country at the time, the delivery guy is bemoaning the lack of skill and expertise in Mohamed Morsi, the country's new leader. For over three years, Kim Beamish the director of  "The Tent Makers of Cairo"  followed a community of artisans whose craft has remained largely unchanged for centuries, and in this film, not only do we see the rich, complex colours and intricate work of their designs, but we hear them discussing the current and complex political situation going on in Egypt.  Discussions continue during power cuts and involve lots of smoking and lots of coffee. Breaking news happens and they continue sewing and giving their opinion. A heated argument happen in the street over a traffic issue and a tent maker watches with interest, only to leave his needle and thread aside to try and calm the situation down. There are some lovely, touching scenes when we see the artisans at home with their families. Yet despite the turmoil outside and the long hours of work, there is also laughter, jokes are made about the government from both sides, about each other and a joint bemoaning that times are tough. The artisan's work is invited to be shown at a quilting exhibition in Pennsylvania and we see them preparing for the trip. Once in the U.S. A , their work is greatly admired and in demand. Here we see not only the visual contrast between the sights and sounds of Cairo to the sights of Pennsylvania, but also a contrast of how their work is cherished. Back in Egypt, the skilled tent makers reflect on how lovely it was to be appreciated for their work in America "unlike in this country" .   When they are then invited to Paris to a sewing fair, they are again valued for their skills.  Although some worry that the trade will die out, there are others who are teaching the art to their sons in the hope that it will continue. This film is a fascinating insight into the life and work not only of the artisans, but also an interesting perspective of the political situation in Egypt during the time of filming. A perspective through the eyes of Egyptians themselves, not through news anchors or "experts".  A country of complex colours of different designs. Just like the artisan's  thread, the country travels in different directions throughout the film resulting in a rich and interesting work of art for the viewer.

The ground was wet underfoot, and there were lots of wellington boots and rain gear in evidence last night at Paléo, but it didn't dampen the spirits of the crowds, and fortunately the rain held off for most of the evening. The bands still continued to play in tents, on stages and across the festival grounds. "Patrice and the Superpowers" got the crowd warmed up at the start of the evening in the Chapiteau Tent.  Near the end of the concert Patrice announced; "Today is a very special day- It's' special because you are all alive!" which brought a massive cheer from the crowd and got them dancing to pretty much the end of the set.   Audio coverage of festival. Note if you want to hear an audio report of the first night and bit of the background to Paléo and Nyon listen to this report the Living in Nyon editor gave on World Radio Switzerland this morning the 20th July 2011.    Photo above and below - "Patrice and the Superpowers" Bomba Estereo  injected a latin modern rythmn in the Dôme which pleased the music lovers and her fans from  Colombia (of which there were quite a few).  There were big crowds for The National (apparantly this is Barack Obama's favourite band), and an even bigger crowd for Cali on the main stage in the early evening. When headline act Jack Johnson appeared on stage at 23:30 he received also received a  massive welcome from his fans.  Below - the crowd for Jack Johnson.  Although the weather conditions weren't exactly summer-like he did bring a summer sound to the end of the evening. The Paléo organisers have waited over seven years to get Jack Johnson on their line up, let's hope they feel it was worth the wait. Photos below - More images of Paléo, the crowd on the new blue mattresses (see yesterday's post abut these new features). Also, photos of  Florent Marchet performing in the Club tent and Pierre Omer in the Detour. All photos - Catherine Nelson-Pollard

There are a few places left for the fondue night  next Tuesday 11th February at 19:00. If you are a recent new arrival to this area and want to learn how to make fondue and meet new people, then please register by midday on the Friday 7th February by emailing either heidi@nrt.ch or michael.moret@nrt.ch.

Here's a brief selection of the local news from the past few weeks in translated extracts from La Côte newspaper . Also, don't forget the Expat fair coming up this Sunday in Morges (see previous post below of 18th September) Rolle In Rolle there is a proposal for buvettes and cabonons (small cafés and huts selling commercial goods) to be temporarily placed along the lake side promenade next year. This is because there is construction work that is scheduled to go ahead in 2010 (in the main street - Grand Rue) and it will continue for approximately two years. Consequently, the municipality is looking to provide an alternative commercial and social area in the town while the work goes on. Nyon Over in Nyon the new UEFA building is scheduled for completion on the 26th March 2010. There is a tunnel being constructed under the road to link the present building with the new one. The no smoking law came into operation last week in the canton of Vaud! There was a public debate two weeks ago on what to do with the area at the back of Nyon railway station, how to improve it and make the area look more attractive! On the 11th October there will be a buvette installed down by the lake at the "plage" area. Initial plans are for it to be open on a Saturday from midday to 20:00 and on a Sunday from 10:00-17:00. Plans also afoot, are for a " dutch tub " and a sauna to be installed in January. These ideas to keep the plage area "alive" in the winter come from the l'association des Trois Jetées , a group of enthusiatic volunteers. Inspired by the Bains des Pâquis area in Geneva they formed an association just 6 months ago. Two weeks ago they organise a masked swim in the lake and Living in Nyon was there to take a few photos from that fun day. Over in Morges La galley ship La Liberté that is moored in Morges will probably have to move to a new port in Montreux (due to financial reasons) See previous post about this lovely ship. Prangins In Prangins there is a proposal to transform a renovate the Auberge Communale which is in the centre of the village. Finally, if you think you have seen storks flying around in the sky you are not mistaken! They do stop here en route on their migration from Western Europe to the Maghreb area of Northern Africa. They are usually only here between the third and fourth week of September so keep your eyes peeled if you do not want to miss them!

One of the attractions of Paléo i s that the music programming is designed to appeal to all ages and to all styles of music. Thursday and Friday night's concerts were a good case in point with Thursday's music choices ranging from the rhythm and blues sound of "The Excitements" from Barcelona to the pop and rock of British legend Elton John or the electro swing of "The Parov Stelar Band" from Austria who performed late into the night. Each concert on the different days attracted very varied crowds and created different atmospheres amongst all age groups. Friday evening at Paléo kicked off with the laid back and lyrical songs of French singer George Moustaki, while later over in the Club tent, the place reverberated to the beatbox sound of Swiss musician "KoQa Cyclic Oscillation". It was evident that the crowds knew all the lyrics to Moustaki's songs and it was the same with Elton John's concert on the Thursday night. There was plenty of collective singing along with both artists. Above - Collective singing (and phone waving) at the Elton John concert. Whereas the audience watching "The Excitements" on Thursday probably weren't that aware of their music , but it didn't matter, the sheer electric energy provided by the band and the power house of its lead singer Koko-Jean Davis got the whole crowd dancing.  Koko-Jean is a consummate performer and engaged magnificently with the audience and is definitely a name to watch.  On Friday it was a completely different crowd in the Club tent listening to the talented "Koqa Cyclic Oscillation", but essentially everyone there was there for the music, the atmosphere, the food and (unfortunately on Friday - the mud).  No doubt it will be a different crowd again on the L'Asse grounds on Saturday waiting to hear James Blunt and at the same time there will be a totally different group of music fans waiting in front of the other stages ready to hear and experience a new band or artist - that is the beauty of Paléo. Photos below Various artists and images  from Thursday and Friday night at Paléo. All photos Catherine Nelson-Pollard Photo above -  Koko-Jean Davis of "The Excitements" Photo below - Georges Moustaki in concert P Photo below - KoQa Cyclic Oscillation All photos on this page C. Nelson-Pollard